Deltek Analyst Kristin Howe reports.
While there is generally a lot of hype around U.S. incarceration levels and the cost of housing and feeding prisoners, the numbers are not as shocking as one might expect. Using current incarceration rates and the 2010 Census’ population data, it is revealed that just more than .45 percent of the U.S. population is incarcerated. While that percentage can vary widely from one state to another, only three states have more than 1 percent of their population behind bars. Idaho has a rate of 1.15 percent, Vermont’s incarceration rate is 1.85 percent, and Mississippi has the distinction of being the only state with more than 2 percent of its population incarcerated, at 2.04 percent. These three states also tend to spend significantly less money per inmate annually than others. Mississippi, perhaps predictably, spends the least amount at $5,274 per inmate annually – a stark contrast to the $90,756 per inmate, per year that Hawaii spends.
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